Rivalry in Love
by Testing123456
Summary: I've been away for a long time, and now that I'm back I know I should be keeping my guard up so I don't get hurt again. But it can't hurt to let someone like Yuma in, right? I mean, purely for the sake of friendship... Oh, shut up, Ryouga.
1. Chapter 1

"Kattobingu da, ore!" The shout made its way through the house, and Akari-san held her forehead in irritation. I giggled, and Akari-san looked at me in exasperation.

"Hand me that pan, will you, Rio-chan?" I reached for it and handed it to her.

"Sure, but we're almost finished. What do you -" With a mighty wind-up, she hurled the pan through the kitchen doorway with the speed of a professional pitcher.

"Hahaha, Kattob- Owww! What? Where did-?" A second later Yuma's head popped into the doorway with a huge welt on the top, and I marveled at Akari-san's aim.

"Hey! What was that for?" Yuma asked angrily.

"For being annoying. Can't you keep it down?" Akari-san demanded heatedly.

"She's right. You deserved that." My brother coolly entered the conversation, leaning against the doorframe with a remarkably annoying air of superiority. "You know, you two are even worse than us," he said, gesturing towards me. I rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out at him.

"Except when you refuse to east your vegetables," I provoked.

His eyes widened, surprised at my boldness. He contemplated between shrugging me off to save face or taking the bait to salvage his pride and, being a boy, his pride won out.

"Peppers and onions are evil. Anyways, I have less trouble with them than you do with cats."

I crossed my arms and tried not to stamp my foot. He did not just go there. "Well, at least I don't sleep in and ask for five more minutes every morning," I jeered.

He turned redder than a pepper. "Why, the nerve -" He charged toward me, probably intending to tickle me into submission, but Yuma must've thought worse and he held Ryouga back while I took shelter behind Akari-san.

I laughed maniacally. "That's right. Stay on your leash, and away from me, you filthy cat."

Ryouga's thrashing increased. "Oh, that's it. Let me go, Yuma, and I'll show her a real beast." Yuma's grip tightened, and I made a mental note to thank him later. "You better let me go, Yuma, or I'll get you, too."

Yuma let go of Ryouga suddenly. Ryouga stumbled forward, then caught himself and turned to find – a fiery-eyed Yuma.

"Oh, now you've done it, Ryouga-kun," said Akari-san, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Is that a challenge?!" shouted Yuma.

I sweatdropped and Ryouga waved his arms in front of himself frantically. "No, don't -"

"Kattobingu da, ore!" Yuma jumped into the air excitedly. Somehow, probably due to unhealthy levels of practice, Yuma had acquired the ability to jump rather high. Subsequently, he collided with the pots hanging from the ceiling at the top of his jump, and the metal pieces went flying. Although I would've given a large sum of money to see Ryouga pegged with a cooking pan and out cold on the kitchen floor, as soon as he realized what was happening he went into his ninja super-commando mode, jumping briskly to the side, grabbing me roughly by the arm and pulling me under the table. I watched in horror as pans raced toward Akari-san, who was completely unshielded. But she just sniffed, irritated.

"Hmph, how annoying." Hands moving faster than bullets, she blocked all the pans and stacked them above me on the table, neatly. As Yuma crashed onto the floor with pans coming down on top of him for good measure, Akari-san conjured a broom seemingly out of thin air and fished Yuma out of the mess by the collar. "How many times do I have to tell you NOT TO JUMP IN THE HOUSE!"

Yuma looked back innocently. "Beats me, not like I was counting."

As I suppressed a giggle, Akari-san's irritation grew to an all-time high. "It was a rhetorical question, idiot!" With a thrust Akari-san threw Yuma out of the kitchen…ooh, was that hinge supposed to turn that way?... through the front door… oh, was that a pot smashing?... down the front steps… ouch, that metal has got to hurt… through the front gate… was that a – truck's horn?... into the street.

"When you get to whatever special place has been set up for you after death, tell Astral I'm sorry that his host is such an idiot!" Akari-san screamed after him. Ryouga and I sweatdropped.

"Is he going to be ok?" I asked sincerely, climbing out from under the table.

Akari-san gave me a charming smile that suggested she wasn't capable of the thrashing she'd just dealt. "Of course he'll be alright, Rio-chan. That was a rather mild one, after all."

Ryouga's eye twitched. He decided to change the subject. "Are you perchance skilled in the martial arts, Akari-san?" he asked.

She blinked, as if this was a random question. "Hm? Well, yeah, I'm a black belt. How'd you know?"

Ryouga sighed, shaking his head and making his way out of the kitchen, mumbling. "Should've known he came from an entire family of freaks."

I bit back a laugh and started helping Akari-san clean up Yuma's mess. "What am I going to do with him?" she asked, sighing.

There was an air of humor about it, but I could tell it was just for my benefit, and the statement hid a deeper meaning. I realized it wasn't true despair over Yuma's antics, but a feeling of anxiety as his only authority figure. I had forgotten: Yuma's parents weren't around. Akari-san was probably worried about whether she was doing the right things for Yuma, if she was enough. I wondered passingly whether Ryouga ever felt the same way about me. I moved to comfort her.

"You don't have to do anything. Yuma's great the way he is. I may not be his closest friend, but even in the short time I've known him I've come to know that he benefits everyone around him. He brings them peace and happiness. I should know, since he got to Ryouga. And trust me, getting to Ryouga is no easy task."

She paused, and then smiled gratefully at me. "Thanks, Rio-chan. You're right."

"No problem." I smiled. Honestly though, my little speech held its own deeper meaning as well. As lighthearted as we were about Yuma and his attitude, I knew there was something extraordinary about him. I wasn't kidding when I said it took something big to get to Ryouga, and I'd have to be blind to miss all the other things Yuma had done since I'd been around him. There was something special, something powerful behind Yuma's casual playfulness, and I aimed to find out for myself.

From what I'd heard and seen, getting close to Yuma wasn't hard. I could A.) Give him food, or B.) Duel him. Either way seemed to be a straight shot to his core.

"Are you ok, Rio-chan?" Akari-san asked suddenly.

"Huh? Yeah, why?" I asked, bewildered.

"You seemed to be thinking rather intensely."

"Wha-? Nahh." I shrugged it off casually, but I felt my face heating up. I had never thought about any boy for any significant period of time except for Ryouga, but Yuma was an exception. I was starting to think it was unhealthy, because the perfectly innocent thoughts I had about getting to know him every once in a while provoked more… mischievous thoughts. Which I attributed – completely, mind you – to the whims of my growing body.

"So, Rio-chan…" Akari-san started again.

"Yes?" I answered quickly, on guard this time. She was turned towards the sink, so I quickly felt my face to make sure it wasn't hot… not that it had any reason to be…

"What do you think of my brother?" She shut off the sink and turned towards me, crossing her arms.

"Wha-?" I stammered, caught completely off guard. "What do you mean? I just told you-"

She made a noise with her tongue in her cheek, dismissing my attempt to B.S. my way out of her question. "That's not what I meant, Rio-chan, and you know it."

My mouth suddenly felt dry. The logical part of me didn't know why. If I dissected this to the best of my judgment, Akari-san was asking me, as another girl and my friend, not really as Yuma's sister, what I thought about him as a boy. It was two girls talking about a guy. Perfectly normal, right? And I could acknowledge that and still dismiss the idea that I saw Yuma like that, right? Why was it so hard to look into her eyes and just say that?

BRRR-IINNNG! The doorbell went off, scaring me out of my reverie. Akari-san's mouth twitched at my jumpiness. Apparently pitying me, she went to get the door, but not before giving me a "this isn't over" look. As she left, I let out a sigh I didn't know I'd been holding.

"Oh! Kotori-chan, Cat-chan!" I came to the doorway to see Akari-san greeting Kotori and Cat with hugs. I noticed she held the hug a beat longer with Kotori, which bothered me for a reason I couldn't place. But as they pulled away from each other and Kotori gave me her characteristically warm smile, any negative feelings were blown away and replaced with the warmth of our genuine friendship. I suddenly felt ashamed for feeling anything negative towards her, who'd only been good to me since I'd known her.

"Hey, Kotori! Good to see you, Cat!" We exchanged hugs and made our way to the living room.

Kotori looked around. "Hey, where's Yuma?" The twinge of irritation popped up again, and I fought it down.

Akari-san smiled mischievously. "What, Kotori, us girlfriends not good enough for you? You need a -"

Kotori's face was already beet red, but she was saved from the blatant embarrassment by the sound of the door slamming.

Akari-san smiled evilly and turned, crossing her arms. "Well, speak of the devil."

Yuma struggled into the living room, looking badly bruised and supporting himself with a stick as a makeshift crutch. He opened his mouth to say something to Akari-san, but then closed it, wincing. He fell forward, missed the sofa by 6 inches, and fell smack onto the ground, out cold.

Akari-san smiled smugly. "That's right. Sleep tight, little bro." Cackling, she strode into the kitchen to finish the arrangements for dinner, leaving us all sweatdropping.

Kotori got over her disbelief first, rushing to Yuma's side and picking up his head. "What happened to him?" she asked, looking to me frantically. "Is he alright?"

I fought the twinge again, although it became harder as Cat rushed to Yuma's side as well, and the two girls hoisted him up onto the sofa.

"He should be fine. Just a little sibling fight, that's all." I supplied.

"I hope so," said Kotori worriedly. "With everything that's been going on, I wouldn't want -"

Yuma suddenly let out an elephantine snore, throwing his arms above his head and smacking his lips contentedly.

Kotori rubbed her forehead, but I had a hard time telling whether she was angry or trying not to laugh.

"Looks fine to me," said Cat. "In fact," she said, gushing, "he looks really cute, sleeping like that."

The twinge that flared up in me this time was reflected in Kotori, who turned to Cat and looked like she was about to brawl, although that seemed to be exactly what Cat wanted. For better or for worse, my brother chose to enter then. Why does he keep disappearing and reappearing, anyway?

"Oh," he said disinterestedly. "You guys are here?"

I made a mental note to talk to him about that attitude later. Really, even if it was his nature to be indifferent most of the time, he could at least be decent when we were in another person's house. To my relief, neither Kotori nor Cat seemed fazed, and better yet, Ryouga took their attention away from Yuma.

"Oh, hey, Shark," greeted Kotori warmly. My brother, the dunderhead, nodded stiffly in return. Then, to my utter surprise, Kotori and Cat engaged my brother in an actual conversation. Wow, a lot must have changed since before, if Ryouga was having conversations without being forced to and while not in a duel. He was trying to look casual and apathetic, but Cat was commenting on his guitar performance in the festival, and Kotori was piling on the flattery, but in a completely sincere way. Ryouga never could resist flattery directed towards his guitar skills.

"Yes, well, what can I say, they call me the Guitar Hero," he boasted, stealing the name from some videogame to compensate for his lack of creativity. He closed his eyes and flipped his hair, but Kotori and Cat just blinked. I laughed inwardly. He had mistaken nice friends for gushing fangirls. This is why I told him to get out more.

Realizing there was no high-pitched squealing and that he was being awkward, he cleared his throat roughly. "So, what are you guys doing here?" he asked, trying to change the subject and failing miserably. Kotori was the one who'd had the idea for this and invited us, after all…

I was somewhat interested in what Kotori's response to my brother's idiocy would be, but just then Akari-san called from the kitchen: "Alright, dinner's ready!"

Before any of us could react to that Yuma shot up from the sofa so fast we three girls jumped five feet in the air. Ryouga flinched visibly. "Did someone say dinner?" Yuma asked eagerly.

Without waiting for a response Yuma dashed to the table and started serving himself. We all looked at each other, laughed, and made our way to the table to sit. Akari-san and Ryouga sat on opposite ends of the table, Kotori sat with Yuma on one side, and I sat across from Yuma next to Cat.

"Oh, hey, Kotori, Cat. When'd you get here?" Yuma asked innocently, noticing them for the first time.

Kotori giggled. "Right before you passed out in your own living room, Yuma."

"Oh…" Yuma rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Akari-san sighed, shaking her head. "Alright, now that the idiot's caught up, let's dig in!"

Yuma probably would've protested, but his mouth was already full. I couldn't blame him though. At the risk of sounding boastful, the food was really good. I guess being the head of the house had given Akari-san culinary skill, and I'm sure it hadn't hurt that I'd helped.

"This is amazing," Cat said, filling her plate a second time.

"Yeah, did you make it yourself, Akari-san?" Kotori asked.

"Partially. Rio-chan helped me out." Akari-san said generously.

"It probably would've been better if Rio hadn't helped, but it's still pretty good, Akari-san," said Shark begrudgingly. I would get him for that, but I was glad he'd remembered some of his manners.

"Oh, don't be such a downer, Shark," said Yuma, although how he was speaking with his mouth so occupied was beyond me. "I know my sister couldn't have done it like this herself." He met eyes with me. "You're a good cook, Rio."

"Thanks, Yuma." I said levelly, trying to suppress the urge to blush and look away. Akari-san gave me a smile and Ryouga narrowed his eyes at me, but I ignored them.

Once us five humans had finished eating, we started talking about what to do while the beast that was Yuma consumed what was left on the table.

"I brought some board games," offered Kotori.

"I have some cards if you guys know any good games," said Cat.

"In the event that we have nothing else to do, we could play this Guitar Hero game that I brought," Ryouga tried to say indifferently even while it was obvious (to me at least) that he was dying to play it.

Akari-san nodded. "Let's start with the board games, then. Now that the vacuum cleaner here has been turned off." She gestured to Yuma, who was sighing contentedly in his chair with a belly the size of the table.

Once Yuma's belly receded, we got to the games. Kotori had brought Sorry!, Monopoly, and Life, and we played them all. As soon as the game started Ryouga went into ninja super-commando mode, Yuma boasted that he would thrash Shark, and I quietly determined to do the same.

Although the games were never boring, the winners' lineup became rather predictable. Ryouga would take first, me second, Akari-san third, Kotori and Cat were back and forth for the next two places, and Yuma, to his great despair, would finish last.

"Kattobingu da, ore!" shouted Yuma, throwing the die across the board as Akari-san held one hand on his head to restrain the accompanying jump. "Come on, come on, a six and it's victory!" The die landed on 1, and Yuma stared at it, dumbfounded. He knelt on the floor melodramatically. "Why... why?!"

Ryouga laughed maniacally. "Watch and learn from the master." He rolled the three he needed and won, cackling all the while.

"What? Noooo… it can't be. Fine, second place, then!"

Despite his best attempts and being in the lead, Yuma somehow managed to keep rolling 1's. Despite my sympathy I finished next, and so on as usual.

"I can't believe this," said Yuma dejectedly, lying face down on the floor after his third straight loss.

Kotori tried to comfort Yuma, although it didn't look like it would work.

"Do you want to duel, then?" challenged Ryouga with a smirk.

Yuma jumped up, nearly braining Kotori in the process. The tears in his eyes were replaced by fire. "Yes, let's go Shark! In fact, let's have a duel tournament!"

Kotori stiffened. Before the two boys could go further however, Akari-san intervened. "No dueling today, guys. This evening we're all off from dueling. There's been enough of that recently." Shark's lips tightened solemnly and he nodded, understanding; even Yuma acquiesced after some groaning. I noticed Kotori visibly relax, and realized suddenly how hard it must be to not be able to duel when your best friend (that's what she and Yuma were, right?) was a fervent duelist. I guessed that played a part in Akari-san's decision as well.

"So, cards?" asked Cat, holding up two decks.

Akari-san took them and started shuffling. "Yup. Any suggestions for what to play?"

Ryouga crossed his arms and huffed. "The only worthwhile game with cards is poker. I doubt any of you can handle that," he directed at Yuma, Kotori, Cat, and me. "I know Rio can't."

I stuck my tongue out at him and he sniffed haughtily.

"I can play poker," Akari-san offered. "But you're right, these guys probably can't. Do you guys know any other card games?"

We all came up short. Akari-san's eyes suddenly lit up, and I thought apprehensively that saying Go Fish might not have been a bad idea.

"So I guess Ryouga and I will play poker," Akari-san shrugged. Ryouga looked surprised and I narrowed my eyes. I wasn't a poker expert, but I knew it wasn't much fun with just two people. Something was up… "And the rest of you can play Spin the Bottle. That should be simple enough."

"What!?" I cried indignantly. It wasn't so much out of a feeling of betrayal as embarrassment. Playing Spin the Bottle with two other girls and the guy who'd been on my mind recently was… well…

"She's just kidding, Rio-san," Kotori said so bluntly that I felt embarrassed I'd taken it any other way. "Right, Akari-san?"

Akari-san huffed. "Well, kids these days. Absolutely no fun. Then how about Truth or Dare?" She smiled evilly.

Kotori and I might've gotten out of that one, too, but Yuma cut in. "Yeah, let's. Better than standing around and not doing anything." He said, shifting from foot to foot restlessly. "But why don't you and Shark join us. It'll be more fun with more people."

I tried not to roll my eyes as Akari-san obviously tried to come up with a cop-out reason. Ryouga bailed her, and himself, out. "As if I'd play a game like that with my sister."

"Yeah," agreed Akari-san. "Only one sibling should be in that game at a time. I'm doing you a favor, bro."

Yuma looked skeptical but let it slide. "Alright, then, let's go."

I had my reservations, but I didn't want to be a spoilsport, and I'd hear no end to the "chicken" jokes from Ryouga if I ducked out of a game of Truth or Dare.

The four of us arranged ourselves in a circle on the floor. Cat pulled her duel computer out of her bag and opened up the "Truth or Dare" app.

The main menu options popped up: "Mild," "Moderate," "Spicy," and "Hot n' Wild."

Cat, Kotori and I, curse it, blushed. Yuma sensed the discomfort and tried to get a better look at the screen. "What -"

"Nothing!" Cat said quickly, tapping the "Moderate" level. There was some portion of my mind that was disappointed, and I realized that Yuma probably would've gone for the "Hot n' Wild" option just because it was the most intense. My face heated up as I contemplated what that would've entailed.

Cat cleared her throat, and Kotori felt her face, and I guessed they had been thinking along the same lines. Meanwhile, Yuma was entering something on the screen.

"There!" he said satisfactorily.

"Player 1 – Yuma"

"Player 2 – Rio"

"Player 3 – Cat"

"Player 4 – Kotori"

The screen blared. "Looks like I'm up first," Yuma said excitedly. "Kattobingu da, ore!"


	2. Chapter 2

The screen blared. "Looks like I'm up first," Yuma said excitedly. "Kattobingu da, ore!"He said, minus the jump. He swiped his hand across the "Dare" option.

"Hug someone in the room of the same gender as you for 10 seconds." The screen said.

Yuma raised an eyebrow, getting up. "That's not so hard."

"They get progressively… more challenging," Cat said apprehensively.

I wasn't really listening, though, because I was already holding my sides in laughter, realizing the implication of the dare. Kotori and Cat suddenly realized it too, and covered their mouths as Yuma made his way over to an unsuspecting Ryouga.

Yuma jumped forward suddenly. "Kattobingu da, ore!"

Ryouga was fast, but not fast enough. Yuma latched his hands around his chest just as he was jumping to the side.

"Wha-? No! Get off! I always knew you were hiding something, Yuma! I don't roll that way!" Ryouga thrashed like a bull in a rodeo, but Yuma held on. Meanwhile, Akari-san and the rest of us were trying not to cry with laughter.

When 10 seconds passed, Yuma let go suddenly, but Ryouga was still thrashing wildly. "Geesh, Shark, you don't have to be so – Oomph!" Caught by Ryouga's iron fist, Yuma went sailing across the room, landing back with us.

Ryouga looked a dangerous mix of angry and embarrassed, and he turned heel and stomped up the stairs while Akari-san followed, trying to quell his anger even though she was cracking up herself. I put my duel gazer/camera away, pleased with the blackmail material I had collected.

Yuma rubbed his head and grinned impishly. "Well, that seemed to rub him the wrong way." Cat and I looked at each other and burst into laughter again while Kotori smiled, her face red.

"Alright, looks like it's my turn," I managed after I caught my breath. I touched the "Truth" option.

"How many romantic relationships have you had so far?" The screen said.

"0," I answered levelly. I looked sidelong at Yuma; he either didn't understand the question or was unfazed by my answer. Kotori and Cat, on the other hand, looked dumbfounded.

"Are you serious?" Kotori asked.

"Yeah, given how the guys were all over you when you first came to school, I find that hard to believe," said Cat.

"That's nice of you guys, but yeah, it's true. It's not something I thought about when I was younger. Then I spent a lot of time in the hospital when people my age were getting relationships started. And recently, I've been busy getting back into the swing of things and Ryouga's reputation has scared a lot of guys away." I didn't add that I probably would've rejected all of those guys even if they'd had the guts to ask.

"Well, that's definitely going to change soon," said Kotori. "I may be younger than you, Rio-san, but I won't let you go without a boyfriend for long. I'll help you out!"

"Yeah, me, too! We'll find a great guy for you," added Cat.

"Thanks, Kotori, Cat-chan." I tried to sound grateful, but I just felt immense irony. If only they knew, they probably wouldn't be so eager…

"Ok, I'm up," said Cat. She licked her lips and selected the "Dare" option.

"For the duration of the game, cosplay as an animal of your choice."

We all sweatdropped. Cat humphed and turned the computer towards Kotori. "I'm already doing that, so it's your turn."

Kotori's hand lingered over the screen before choosing "Truth."

"What color eyes does your dream boy have?" it asked.

"Red," Kotori answered without hesitation. She then blushed profusely, glanced at Yuma, and then blushed further. Cat was narrowing her eyes at Kotori. I grinned, trying to meet Kotori's eyes to tease her, but she was looking down. Some extremely mischievous part of my mind that I definitely wasn't responsible for quipped that my eyes were red, too, and I shut it down immediately. Talk about wild hormones.

"Well, that was fast," said Yuma. Kotori stiffened, but Yuma didn't say anything further. The three of us sweatdropped, and I wondered whether Yuma was too dense to understand the implications of what Kotori had said, or if he didn't even realize his eyes were red.

Kotori sighed in what came across as relief, but I suspected she harbored some disappointment. From what I'd seen, Kotori had been after Yuma for quite a while now, and his obliviousness was probably frustrating.

"Here goes! Kattobingu da, ore!" Yuma swiped the "Dare" option once again.

"Kiss the other players, in order, for 5 seconds each."

In order? Yuma was player 1, and I was player 2, so that meant…

Yuma was getting up already. I frantically met Kotori and Cat's eyes. They were looking at me expectantly, waiting for me to say something. The circumstances clicked. I had never been in a relationship before; I had definitely never kissed – this would be my first; Kotori and Cat were my friends, and they both were obvious enough about their crushes on Yuma that they knew I should know; as a friend, and considering theoretically that I had no interest in Yuma, I should get out of this somehow. But…

Yuma was now standing above me, looking down expectantly. He held his hand out, and was grinning eagerly. "Ready, Rio?" he asked. I should've felt honored he was so excited, but I was aware it was because of the game and not any feelings he had for me. I also knew that this could very well be Yuma's first kiss too, and it was wrong to take it so carelessly. Even so…

I took his hand and got up, smoothing my skirt out. "Y- Yuma…"

But he was already within a foot of me. Suddenly our chests were almost touching and his face was inches from mine. I took in a whiff of him anxiously, and he smelled of... poppyseed – lively, stimulating, intoxicating, and suddenly my senses felt overloaded and the logical part of my mind shut down. My eyes met his eyes, hoping for a shred of reluctance, a way out – but instead I found a consuming whirlpool of fiery passion, drowning me. My knees buckled, and his hands gripped my sides – firmly but not uncomfortably. His palms were gloved, but it only exacerbated the feel of his naked fingertips on my body, sending pulses of electricity up my spine and into the storm of feelings that was now my mind. he was leaning forward now. When the cold metal of his key touched my chest, I gave in completely. I closed my eyes, and tilted my head up and sideways (just like all the girls in the movies I used to scoff at with Ryouga), waiting for the touch of his lips to rescue me from the raging hurricane that was pounding inside me. My arms were reaching up and around his head to get into his hair when I heard a throat clear:

"What's going on here?" My eyes fluttered open to see Ryouga at the bottom of the stairs, eyes narrowed; Akari-san had been coming up behind him to try and silence him, but was too late – she looked angry for it. On the other side, Kotori and Cat were standing up, frozen stiff with their mouths wide open. The only person who acted normally was Yuma, who pulled away from me casually, as if we'd just been talking.

"Hey, Shark. We're still playing Truth and Dare. Decided to join in?" Yuma asked.

I quickly put my arms down from their semi-elevated state and pathetically attempted to compose myself, to no avail. My breathing was ragged, my knees were shaking, my palms were sweaty, and most of all, the storm inside me was still raging, unsatisfied. I had to restrain myself from placating it by jumping forward and claiming Yuma right there. If Ryouga hadn't been watching, I might've done it. Instead, I tried to pull back the blood in my face and clear my mind of the hormones and desire clouding it.

Ryouga scoffed, "No, I have not decided to join in. It's time for Rio and me to head home." He suddenly became much more mannerly, turning towards Akari-san. "Thanks for having us, Akari-san."

Akari-san nodded stiffly; to my pleasure, it seemed that she was still miffed that Yuma and I had been interrupted. "Of course, Ryouga-kun. You and Rio-chan are welcome here any time."

Ryouga nodded. Then the doorbell rang, and Akari-san went to open it. Cat looked over her shoulder and waved. "Hey, Mom!" She ran to the door.

An elegant middle-aged woman smiled and waved to Cat. She then turned to Akari-san, holding out her hand. "You must be Tsukumo Akari, Yuma-kun's sister. It's nice to finally meet you."

With Ryouga, Akari-san, and Cat and her mother caught up in introductions, and Yuma looking on, that left Kotori and me standing off to the side. Things got awkward really fast, especially because I felt like I'd betrayed her. I looked down.

"Kotori, I – That is, – " She cut me off, holding a hand up.

"No need to say anything, Rio-san. I understand everything." She smiled wryly. "Your body language back there made it pretty clear."

I knew Kotori well enough to know she wasn't being snide, but I was still embarrassed. I shook it off.

"Kotori… I didn't mean…"

Kotori suddenly placed her hand on my shoulder comfortingly. "There's nothing to feel sorry for, Rio-san. Yuma, he – he has that effect on people. And I can imagine what feelings you must have pent up, waiting to be fulfilled, with you in the hospital, away from society, for so long… And Yuma's bond with Shark couldn't have hurt either."

I looked at her straight on. I had heard Kotori was booksmart in school, but to think she was so astute… She had pegged my feelings perfectly, albeit vaguely.

"You hit the nail on the head, Kotori," I admitted. "But… where does this leave us?"

Kotori nodded. "Yeah, that's the thing. We're both after the same guy…" I was pleasantly surprised at Kotori's directness. She had always come across as cute and reserved, but her blatant statement made me reevaluate that judgment. Kotori closed her eyes. "Now – our relationship has to change."

I raised an eyebrow, trying to look confident. Inwardly though, I felt bad. Kotori and I had such a good friendship…

"From now on," Kotori said, her eyes a rich, inflamed green, "we're love rivals!"

I was taken aback. "L-love rivals?"

"Yes. I hope that even though I can't duel like you yet, you'll take me seriously as a rival." Kotori extended her hand to me seriously, and I realized in that moment how alike she and Yuma were. Kotori didn't have the dueling medium to show it, but she was just as passionate and driven regarding the things she cared about. I grasped her hand tightly. This was indeed the end of our simple friendship, but also the start of something greater.

"I would be a fool to underestimate you," I said, smiling.

Kotori grinned back. "Thanks. As a show of goodwill to start us off, I want to remind you that it's not just us."

"Huh?" Kotori pointed at the door, towards Cat. She had been staring at us intently, but when I met eyes with her she relaxed, and flashed me a grin and a thumbs up. I smiled back, suddenly feeling emotional. To be treated so fairly and welcomed so warmly, even though I was an intruder on their love triangle…

"Thank you," I whispered.

Kotori was still smiling. "Wouldn't have it any other way, Rio-san."

I looked up. "When it's just us, call me Rio, Kotori."

She looked taken aback, but nodded. "Sure, Rio-sa – I mean, Rio." She giggled.

"Rio, let's go!" Ryouga was calling roughly from the door.

"You'd better be off," said Kotori.

"Yeah," I turned towards the door, and then back. "But before I go, I just wanted to let you know. You may not have been under your own power, but you looked pretty hot when you dueled at the Sports Duel Tournament. You should duel more often – minus the Barian influence, of course."

I could read that she was too decent to be approached and told she was hot by people. But it was true – I could see it even if I was a girl, and she deserved to know. Sure enough, Kotori blushed heavily.

I smirked, turning away and making my way to my brother at the door. I exchanged goodbyes with Akari-san and started out. As we reached the gate, though, Yuma called:

"See you later, Shark! And Rio, you were sure giving off some strong vibes during that game! Let's face off again with a duel sometime!"

Ryouga threw a hand up over his shoulder. I turned around, grinning. "I look forward to it, Yuma! Make sure to bring your Kattobingu!"

"Of course! I can't wait!" Yuma waved, and I waved and turned back. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't wipe the silly grin off my face, or quell the excitement in my body. I was so distracted I forgot Ryouga was beside me until he grunted. I turned toward him.

His hands were in his pockets, his eyes were closed, and his lips were twitching. "That guy… He never fails to get the fires going, huh?"

I knew suddenly that he knew it all. I wasn't embarrassed, though. Ryouga was Ryouga, after all.

"Do you approve?" I asked curiously.

His lips twitched even more. "If I said no, what would you say?

I snorted. "I think you know."

He raised an eyebrow playfully, but he couldn't hold back a full-fledged smile. "Enlighten me." I laughed, and then pumped my fist.

"Kattobingu, da, ore!"


End file.
